If God loves us, why has he killed so many of us? This is a valid question—as such, it deserves valid treatment. First, in the interest of orderliness, this discussion will presuppose the following: (1) God exists; (2) He is the God of the Bible, as revealed in the pages of sacred Scripture—omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent; and (3) the Bible—in accordance with what it professes within its own pages—is the inerrant Word of God. It is irrelevant if your beliefs conflict with these presuppositions entering into this discussion because, as with all foundational premises, you must necessarily use them to formulate their rebuttal—thusly, any meaningful discourse would be abrogated. Second, this commentary is written from the perspective of one man, limited by my own fallible, human intellect; I neither profess to argue in God’s stead, nor do I claim to represent anyone other than myself. It is understood that I can no more plumb the depths of the Lord’s mind anymore than I can perceive the meaning of life from yours. That being said, let’s begin. Scripture indeed reveals that God required the lives of many people. This much is clear—many people died by the hand of God. The question is why? Was this action unjustified—heaven forbid! So where is the breakdown in reason? I would argue the answer lies somewhere within our own fractured intellect. If we allow that these acts were unjust, then any notion of an all-powerful, all-loving God would be shattered. He would fail to be morally perfect—his image, as such, revealed as mere charade. He would be feared as a monster—certainly not worthy of worship! Perhaps a better question would be: Does this taking of life serve some greater purpose that we don’t yet understand? Logically our answer must emphatically be yes for reason to be preserved. That which is truth cannot conflict with other known truths; thus, if truth is to endure, it cannot be relative. The law of non-contradiction must be upheld. I believe our gravest error lies with our misconception of God’s sovereignty. Friends, God created the heavens and the Earth. He created you. Your life is a precious gift. He created you to receive His infinite love. You are an object of His mighty affection. But more than this He is infinitely holy: infinitely just. Folks, there are rules—all of the created order is subject to His sovereign law, both natural and spiritual. And there are consequences for violating these laws. Have we not taken life as punishment for the most heinous of crimes? Of course, none of this is to suggest that God is poised and ready to hurl lightning bolts from the heavens at any given moment. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Bible says that He is longsuffering, kind, and ready to extend His grace abundantly (Romans 5:20). But the truth is—by your own actions—you are under just condemnation right now; and what are you going to do about it? So what happened to these people who died? Scripture reveals that some were saved (1 Corinthians 11:30, Acts 5:1-11), while some were cast into Hades (Numbers 16:28-35). Ah yes, Hades you say, but how do we know there is anything after this life? Simply stated, the same Bible that records the deaths of these people also reveals the existence of an afterlife. We mustn’t forget if we are going to handle the former subject as truth, we must necessarily handle the latter as truth as well. Candidly, God’s actions seem to indicate that He is much more concerned with the state of your eternal soul than your corporeal body. Your body will be sacrificed to preserve your soul. This is why Jesus taught, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) This is the very reason why it is so difficult to understand the Apostle John, when he admonishes: “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” (1 John 2:15-17) O foolish man, John isn’t asking you to hate yourself: or the world: or the things in it—but to yearn for the things in life which are eternal! If nothing else the brevity of this life, when compared to eternity, should punctuate just how precious this life really is. (James 14:4) What God requires of you sacrificially, He returns to you in righteousness. Perhaps the most important thing we can take away from a discussion such as this is to consider what we are meant to learn from the incidents recorded in Scripture. There are no stray words: no meaningless stories. Jesus Himself said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” (Matthew 5:17-18) Furthermore, this essay is not an indictment of the Lord’s actions, but the honest, reverent beginning of a discussion that many may benefit from. Scripture teaches that fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) now let us begin our search with honest, open hearts.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 00:02:39 +0000